Method of making eyelets



July 3, 1928.

1,675,913 E. L. SIBLEY METHOD OF MAKING EYELETS Filed May 5, 1926Patented July 3, 1928.

units!) STATES EDVARD L. SIBLEY, OF BENNINGTON, VERMONT.

METHOD OF MAKING EYELETS.

Briginal application filed December 19, 1925, Serial No. 76,525.

Serial No. 106,975.

May 5, 1926.

This invention relates to a method or process of making eyelets ortubular rivets of the well-known Challenge eyelet type, and specificallyto a method or process of making that form of such Challenge eyeletswhich forms the subject of my application for patent filed December 19,1925, Serial No. 76,525, (patented January 18, 1927, No. 1,615,0d8) ofwhich application this present case is a division in accordance with therequirement of the United States Patent Office made in the applicationaforesaid.

The blanks from which the eyelets or tubular rivets are made, are cut,as by suitable punches and dies, from a strip or ribbon of suitablemetal, and have a central sol d portion from which a number of fingersradiate, and these fingers terminate in lateral projections, the fingersbeing formed into a tubular barrel or body portion and their lateralprojections being utilized to form the bottom flange; the constructionbeing such that in the act of setting, the ceutral solid portion isutilized to receive the cooperating members of the setting tool, pressor machine to be thereby driven through the material on which thearticle or tubular rivet is to be set, without first. cutting an openingin the material, and then by a further movement. of the setting tool orpress, the barrel or body is collapsed and is spread out laterally toform a head or flange opposite to the flange formed of the lateralprojections on the fingers. In accordance with the invention of theapplication mentioned, th lingers are subdivided for a portion of theirlength so that in the setting of the eyelet or tubular rivet, the headformed by collapsing the barrel or body will be composed of twice asmany sections or parts as there are fingers, and thus the strength andappearance of this collapsed end will be enhanced.

The invention herein consists of a method or process of forming eyeletsor tubular rivets 0r fasteners in which the component barrel orbody-forming portions are scored longitudinally so that when thefastening is applied or set, these fingers will divide along the linesof the scoring and produce twice as many heading or flange-formingelements as there are fingers, to thereby enhance the security of thefastening and also improve its appearance.

Divided and this application filed In order to differentiate thisinvention from the prior art so far as I know it, it is to be said thatit is old to form an eyelet or tubular rivet. from a radiate blank, andit is also old to form such a device by drawing a one-piece body andslitting it between ends in order to aid the collapsing of the barrel orbody in the act of setting to form the head, but so far as I am aware,it is new and original with me to score or divide the fingers of aradiate blank in the act of forming the blank. My method or processresults in a decided economy in the manufacture of the eyelets ortubular rivets.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in the severalfigures of which like parts are similarly designated. Figure 1 is aschematic plan view illustrat ing a ribbon or piece of stock showing thescorings, the scored blanks, and the openings in the stock after theblanks are cut out. Fig. 2 is a plan view of one ofthe blanks. Fig. 3 isan elevation of one of the fasteners. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectionof one of the fasteners. Fig. 5 is a cross section. Fig. 6 is a top planview and Fig. 7 is a bottom plan of'oue of the fasteners set. Fig. 8 isa longitudinal section, and Fig. 9 a top plan view illustrating how thesolid center of the fastener may be punched out when set, in order thatthe fastener may be used for ribboning' papers together in accordancewith required practice under some laws or customs.

The eyelets or tubular rivets of this invention are formed from aradiate blank, such as shown in Fig. 2, in which there is a solidcentral portion 1 and four, more or less, fingers 2 radiating from thissolid central portion, and each of these fingers terminates in thecurved lateral projections 3 from one side only, which, when the blankis pressed to shape, as in Fig. 3, come together so as to form thebottom flange, as

shown in Fig. 7; but, as already stated, the

flange-forming projections may extend from both sides of the fingers asshown in my Patent No. 1,469,757, granted October 2 1923.

In order to facilitate the heading over of the fastener in setting andto enhance the security of the flange formed by said heading over and toimprove the appearance of the set fastener, I provide the lingers with'scorings or slits 4 extended longitudinally llt) thereof between thesolid center and the ends of the fingers, so that when the fastener isset the headed-over portion will be divided into twice as many parts asthere are fingers, as shown in Figs. 6 and, 9.

I/Vhere law or custom requires documents to be ribboned together, thesame press that is used to set the fasteners may be used to punch a holethrough the central solid por tion, as indicated at 5 in Figs. 8 and 9,so that the ribbon may be passed through as in an ordinary open-endedeyelet.

In the manufacture of the eyelets or tubular rivets of this invention, Imay take a ribbon or strip 6, of suitable metal and first form thereinthe scorings or slits 7 and then, in the same or another press, punchout the blanks, as shown at 8, leaving the cuts 9. In the operation offorming the fasteners and in order to involve the least possible wasteof stock the punches and dies may be arranged so that the fingers ofadjacent fasteners will overlap.

After the blanks, as shown in Fig. 2, are out, they are drawn to shapeto form the bodies of the fingers into substantially parallel relation,constituting the barrel of the device, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4,and the bottom flange 10 will be turned up toward the solid centralportion, instead of extending flatwise or at right angles to the barrel.'Asalready stated, the barrels of the eyelets, extend upwardly andoutwardly through the slot or open top of the feed trough or track,while the upwardly curved bottom flanges extend cross-wise of the troughor track, or at right angles to the sides thereof, and thus the flanges0f the eye lets are prevented from overlapping and hence jamming in thetrough or track.

Not only has the upturned flange the functions stated but in addition ithas the following advantages, namely :-In the act of setting thefastener this upturned flange flattens out under pressure and extendsparallel with the material fastened, as shown in Fi s. 5 and 8, insteadof cutting into the material or forming a sharp shoulder against whichthe flange formed on the opposite end of the eyelet might operate as ashear during the heading-over or setting operation, and this is aparticularly important feature in using the eyelets on a small thicknessof material.

It is possible to carry out the manufacture of the devices by slittingthe ribbon of stock first and then cutting out the eyelet blanks, or theslitting and the cutting out may be done at one operation.

Variations in the details of construction are permissible within theprinciple of the invention and the claims hereinafter made.

What I claim is 1. The method of making eyelets having a series oflongitudinally slitted fingers, which consists in slitting the stock andforming the fingers about such slits, so that there is a slit extendinglengthwise in each finger between its ends, and then forming the thusslitted blank cut from the stock into a collapsible eyelet, whereby whenthe eyelet is collapsed or set the fingers will divide along the linesof the slits and produce twice as many heading or flange-formingelements as there are fingers.

2. The method of making eyelets having a series of longitudinallyslitted fingers, which consists in first slitting the stock andthereafter forming the fingers about such slits, so that there is a slitextending lengthwise in each finger between its ends, and then drawingthe thus slitted blank out from the stock into a collapsible eyelet,whereby when the eyelet is collapsed or set the fingers will dividealong the lines of the slits and pro duce twice as many heading orflange-forming elements as there are fingers.

The method of forming fastening devices having a series oflongitudinally slitted fingers of the character described, comprisingthe slitting of the finger forming stock and the punching out of thedevices so as to include the slits within the contour of the punches anddies used in cutting out the blanks.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 3rd day of May A.D. 1926.

EDWVARD L. SIBLEY.

